398 



ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE NATUEAL ORDERS. 



aestivation. Petals as many as the sepals, convolute in asstivation, 

 hypogynous. Stamens indefinite, monadelphous, united with the 

 claws of the petals : anthers reniform, confluently one-celled. Pollen 

 hispid (Fig. 483). Ovary several-celled, with the placent® in the 

 axis ; or ovaries several. Fruit capsular, or the carpels separate 

 or separable. Seeds with a little mucilaginous or fleshy albumen. 

 Embryo large, with foliaceous cotyledons, variously incurved or 



folded. — Ex. Malva (Mallow), Althaea (Hollyhock), Gossypium 

 (Cotton), &c. . a rather large and important family, the herbage, 

 .&c. commonly abounding in mucilage, and entirely destitute of un- 

 wholesome qualities. The unripe fruit of Abelmoschus or Hibiscus 

 esculentus (Okra) is used in soups. Althasa officinalis is the Marsh 

 TVIallow of Europe, the Guimauve of the French. The tenacious 

 inner bark of many species is employed for cordage. Cotton is the 

 hairy covering of the seeds of Gossj'pium : the long and slender 

 tubes, or attenuated cells, collapse and twist as the seed ripens, 

 which renders the substance capable of being spun. Cotton-seed 

 yields a good fixed oil. Some species are cultivated for ornament. 

 772. Ol'd. Byttneriaceil is distinguished from the foregoing by its 

 usually definite stamens, and the two-celled anthers (the cells par- 

 allel), with smooth pollen. — A Melochia and a Hermannia are 

 found in Texas. The rest of the order is tropical or subtropical. 

 Chocolate is made of the roasted and comminuted seeds of Theo- 

 broma Cacao (a South American tree), mixed with sugar, arnotto, 

 vanilla, and other ingredients. The roasted integuments of the seeds, 

 also, are used as a substitute for coffee. 



^IG. 737. The Marsh Mallow (Althaea oflficinalis). 738. One of the kidney-shaped one-celled 

 anthers, magniQed. 739. The pistils, magnified. 740. Capsule of Ilihiscus Moscheutos, with 

 the persistent calyx and involuceL 741. The same, loculicidally dehiscent. 



